OMG, where have I been? Can I really not have updated my blog since [checks...gasps...] January? What the hell have I been doing?!

Let me tell you!

I turned 25, and received a cake worthy of recognition on Cake Wrecks, although I haven’t sent it to them. (In case you can’t read it, it says “Happy Birthday Christina Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis.”)

Even a teal-lover knows when to stop.

My husb got me tickets to the Penguins, and I saw this amazing car when we parked near the arena.

A kindred soul.

Then, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup and I collapsed in a huge heap of sobbing/laughing/screaming/hyperventilating mess on my living room floor. Less than twelve hours later, I was holding the Cup with Coach Bylsma.

GAHHHHH!!!!

(I’ll give you a second to recover from the sheer awesomeness of that picture. I needed a week to recover.)

I went to Houston for a friend’s wedding and SOMEHOW BECAME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

"Look, I'm the President, and if I want to change the national anthem to "Take A Chance On Me," I WILL."

I also met this feisty little guy, painted on the ceiling of where the wedding reception was.

Yee-haw.

I’ve been doing a whole lot of writing and editing, and actually gave my manuscript to some people to read, which was hella terrifying. So far, no one has handed it back to me and then proceeded to laugh in my face for ten minutes, so that’s good.

I started another blog (Hi, my name is Christina, and I’m a blogaholic who doesn’t follow through), where I’ve been thinking through some writing stuff. Follow me there…if you dare. Of if, you know, you’re interested in me blabbing about writing. I also occasionally contribute to the very amazing Only in Pittsburgh blog, for which my spouse is the main contributor. If you have a picture that belongs there, what are you waiting for? Send it to us!

KTHXBAI

We’ve been through this before (that one ruined my 9th birthday, I’ll have you know, and it’s far worse than anything Jeff Verszyla is predicting right now). We are located in southwestern Pennsylvania, not southwestern Florida. We receive snow between the months of October and March, sometimes up to 6″ at once.

So why, for the love of all that is good, have I not seen a single plow or salt truck out tonight? Why is it that I, along with two very kind friends, had to push my car home while my husband tried not to run over us?

Seriously, WTF? Maybe the Manchild Mayor should stop focusing on appearing as ridiculous as humanly possible and actually take care of the city?

Hugs and kisses,

Christina

(Picture from stephjoyous.)

I like memes, I like Fridays, I like lists … so I’m going to do a Friday 5 today!

1. What types of blogs do you usually read?

I’ve divided my Google Reader into a bunch of different categories: feminist blogs, finance blogs, food blogs, personal blogs, law blogs, Pittsburgh blogs, writing blogs, and random blogs. Of them, the feminist and personal blogs contain the most subscriptions.

2. What kinds of products do you usually buy when you shop online?

CLOTHES. I actually just used some Christmas money and bought a bunch of stuff online at Old Navy, Banana Republic and the Gap. I detest shopping for clothes in a store. That’s really the brunt of what I buy online. I used to buy a lot of books at Amazon, but then I discovered this wonderful thing called a library, and I have bought very few books for myself since getting a library card.

3. What kinds of online videos do you usually spend time watching?

Mostly music videos, usually from the 90s, and TV shows. I love watching The Office and 30 Rock online, even if I watched them on TV during the week. Also, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA! (Don’t laugh, it is an awesome show.) I’m already spending too much for TV and Internet, and my cable package doesn’t include the SciFi channel, so I have to watch BSG online. But that’s okay. I’m just glad it’s finally back!

4. Besides Friday 5, what weekly memes do you particularly enjoy?

Uh…none. I’m not so good at updating my blog, even weekly, and I don’t really participate in any ongoing memes. Even Friday 5.

5. Where do you like to go for streaming online music?

Pandora! It has seriously changed my life. Back in the day, I used to listen to Yahoo! radio, but Pandora is way better. I have over a dozen stations on it. Right now, I’m listening to my Carla Bruni radio, and a really cool version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is playing, by Ingrid Michaelson. I would never had heard this song without Pandora.

I know that this is probably really mean, especially for all you poor souls in Pittsburgh, where, according to weather.com, the temperature is currently 3 degrees and the wind chill is a bitter -12. But would you like to see where I am right now?

(Picture from Allan Ferguson.)

Encinitas, California.

Okay, I’m not really on the beach right now. But I was there for a few hours this morning/early afternoon. Right now I’m hanging out at a coffeehouse and stealing WiFi. Don’t worry, I’m going back for the sunset tonight.

(evil grin)

Do I really need a reason to post Joey Lawrence rocking out in holey jeans, a flannel tied around his waist?

I wish my best friend was named after a number.

The turn of a new year gets many people thinking about goals, progress, where they are and where they want to be. I am one of those people. A listmaker extraordinaire, I see the new year as the perfect time to make the List of Lists for the year and try to stick to it as best I can.

I didn’t write any of my goals down last year (or at least, I can’t find any record of them - this is what happens when you’re both a listmaker extraordinaire and a packrat). I vaguely remember something about writing a book before I turned 25. Exercising a few times a week. And, of course, moving back to Pittsburgh. Beyond that, I’ve no idea.

Well, I wrote a book last year, but I haven’t even glanced at it since August, when I finished what Anne Lamott affectionately calls the “shitty first draft.” Exercising three times a week, don’t make me laugh. I did find my way back to Pittsburgh, as you all know, and managed to do a few other things too, like buy a house and get married.

This year, I’m being a bit smarter about my goals. I’ve compiled them in one place and created a spreadsheet to track my progress. (I love you, Google Docs.) I’ve made them achievable and measurable. One of them is to post on this blog three times per week. Another is to work really hard at revising my book so I can send it out to agents by September. Others are financial or related to work we want to do on the house. All of them are doable.

Let’s just see where this year takes us, shall we?

This post from the Early Returns blog at the Post-Gazette reports on Gov. Rendell’s non-apology for his sexist remarks about Arizona Gov. Napolitano. Great, and I’m glad the PG’s covering it.

However, this more recent post is about Michelle Obama’s wardrobe and how she has a “second chance” to make up for the apparently heinous dress she wore the night of the election, which, Early Returns is eager to remind us, they hated.

Ugh.

Hello, kittens! So I was home sick a little while ago and when I was flipping through the channels on the TV, it was like my childhood was replaying itself right in front of my very eyes, but in ways I could never have foreseen. Like, I saw a Cabbage Patch Kids commercial. THEY STILL MAKE THOSE?! And then I got to E! and guess what - Topanga Freaking Lawrence is hosting a show there! The Dish? Or the Soup? Or something else? Anyway, it was really weird to see Topanga making fun of TV shows and not crusading for the environment or telling Cory what a tool he was being. And then, to top it all off, TRL was on MTV - okay, maybe that’s not that unusual, but the guests were the BACKSTREET BOYS. Seriously, it was like going from age 5 to age 10 to age 14 in just a few flicks of the clicker. I figured these were all signs from god and decided to do a BSB video of the week because I am ashamed to admit I spent more than a few dollars on their albums and paraphrenalia. So, without further ado…

Uh, what is wrong with Brian’s hair in the intro? He keeps moving his hat like he’s trying to scratch his hair without anyone noticing. Brian, get thee some Neutrogena TGel. That stuff works wonders.

What does Nick pull out of the bed? A stuffed mink?

In the silhouette after their transformations, I always thought Brian was wearing a crown of thorns and was like, hmm, that’s sacreligious. But now I see it’s just excessive amounts of hair gel. Wow…sexy.

Am I sexual? If you have to ask, Nick, the answer is probably no.

This song is announcing their return and the release of their album, right? So why are Nick’s questions (Am I original? Am I the only one?) in the first person singular? Grr to bad grammar.

Oh good! A ballroom dance at the haunted mansion tonight! I AM SO THERE.

I spent many teenaged hours memorizing the dance that begins at about 3:49. Sad but true. I thought I’d have the chance to show off my moves at the eighth grade dance. Turns out, not so much. Actually, you know what? That’s probably for the better, in terms of my long-term psychological health.

I always liked Nick the best, but now that I’m older and looking back, he’s kind of whiny and annoying. And whose jersey is that he’s wearing in the beginning part? Now I’m thinking that Kevin is much sexier…

Over at Marginal Designs, the husb did a meme via Andrea and Cynthia. The rules:

Leave a comment and I’ll give you a letter. Post ten things you LOVE that begin with that letter.  Then give a letter to anyone who leaves a comment for you… and the cycle will continue.

I decided to participate too and he gave me the letter M, but switched up the rules: I had to name 10 things I love about Pittsburgh that start with the letter M, not just things in general. So, without further ado, my list.

1.       Marginal Designs: Yet more shameless self-promotion. But I seriously love the fact that two people can put the face of a local celebrity on a t-shirt in the style of the Che Guevara shirts and people will totally support it. Yinzers rock.

2.       Masloff, Sophie: The first (and so far, only) female mayor of Pittsburgh and a revered local icon. On a related note, I love the WearPittsburgh t-shirts that support a potential Masloff run for President. I’d vote for her!

3.       Mount Washington: A gorgeous view of our gorgeous city. I love bringing visitors up to Mt. Washington. It’s a visual rebuttal to the “Pittsburgh is dirty and smoky and gross” stereotype that somehow persists even in 2008:

(Picture from DeathByBokeh)

4.       Most Livable City: I totally agree, Pittsburgh is the Most Livable City in the United States. We have great museums, a low cost of living, and friendly neighbors. What more could you ask for?

5.       Mario Lemieux: I belong to a Facebook group called “Mario Lemieux Just Might Be God.” And it’s not an exaggeration AT ALL. Mario was an amazing hockey player despite all his setbacks and contributes meaningfully to our community.

6.       Monongahela River:  Together with the Allegheny, it forms the Ohio River at Point State Park. Without it, national sports broadcasters wouldn’t be able to say that Pittsburgh lies at the confluence of three rivers, and then how would they show off their extensive vocabularies?

7.       Miller, Heath: A solid football player and reliable tight end on the Steelers. He rarely misses any of Ben’s passes, which is more than I can say for some of the other players on the team. (cough, Santonio Holmes, cough)

8.       Mr. Rogers : I cried the day Mr. Rogers died. He was an integral part of my childhood and he lived right here in Pittsburgh. My favorite Mr. Rogers story: When he was baby-sitting his grandson, his car was stolen. The news stations reported the theft and the next day, or maybe a few days later, the thief returned the car to Mr. Rogers. That story really speaks to the good he brought out in people.

9.       Myron Cope: A Pittsburgh original, creator of the Terrible Towel, award-winning journalist, and owner of perhaps the most distinctive voice ever. Myron, we miss you.

10.   Mary Cassatt: I love her paintings. Anything that places value on the often unseen lives of women is awesome in my book. And she’s from Pittsburgh, too!

Leave a comment if you want to write your top ten list with a Pittsburgh twist!

My husband and I have recently started a t-shirt design company. Our first shirt is on sale now — I’m modeling it in the picture below. For my non-Pittsburgh readers, the woman is Sally Wiggin, the best newscaster in our fair city and wholly deserving of immortality through this t-shirt.

Want to buy one or learn more about our company? Head on over!